So, nearly a half-decade after many buildings were demolished to make way for new development, the RiverWest area has officially announced the first project. A new Holiday Inn Express should be complete by the end of the year. I really hope this leads to other development in the area.

So, nearly a half-decade after many buildings were demolished to make way for new development, the RiverWest area has officially announced the first project. A new Holiday Inn Express should be complete by the end of the year. I really hope this leads to other development in the area.

Just today I started thinking about relocating out towards Sand Springs or perhaps Sapulpa. More house for the money out that way...

That's so interesting. Why do you want, "more house for the money"?

What I have discovered is that, unless you can afford to have and do everything else in your life (travel, free time for hobbies, invest, etc.), AND can afford to pay someone else to mow the yard, trim the trees and fence line, rake up leaves, weed the yard, paint the house, fix things around the house, clean a larger house, etcÖ. your losing time, aka money.

That "more house for the money" expression is something I haven't heard in a long time. My parents might have said something like that, and even cohorts from my generation, but more and more I am learning, and am hearing from my younger friends that they need very little space and also don't want to have to spend money on more cars. If your a couple in the city you can get away with 1 car easier than if your far out you are more likely to have to pay for a second car. I hate having two cars to our household. Just the other day we were thinking how nice it would be to have the money we pay in gas, insurance, and car payment to use elsewhere like travel to Europe every year, put in investments, and or to purchase more product and advertising for our shop lol. I have started to realize that "more money for the house" is actually a cultural thing we were taught and almost take for granted as "thats just what one wants, it's the ideal situation" but really there is little truth to it. The truth is closer to "I want this lifestyle, with this freedom, and just enough space to feel comfortable in, any more is,,, What for?"

I noticed that in Europe that it seems that more people spend more time outside their own houses. I used to think that perhaps this was partly because their homes tended to be smaller lol. But now that I have more things to do away from home and enjoy being in the city, the house has basically become just a place to sleep and occasionally watch a TV show before I go to sleep lol. Everything else like mowing a yard is a bothersome distraction that keeps me from doing the things I want to do. Less is very likely more when it comes to a house. And ever more one finds that "the less house one can afford" = "more stuff to see and do, more actual living, conveniently nearby".

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"When you only have two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other."-Chinese proverb. "Arts a staple. Like bread or wine or a warm coat in winter. Those who think it is a luxury have only a fragment of a mind. Mans spirit grows hungry for art in the same way h

That was my reaction as well, Artist. For my part, we will be moving this Winter/Spring down into midtown from the Owasso area. We will no doubt get "less house for the money", as the price per square foot is considerably higher down there and of course the lot will be much smaller than the acre we live on now. But we will eliminate the commute, be closer (both in actual mileage, but more importantly in time and ease of access) to all the trails, parks, restaurants, etc, that Tulsa has to offer, and generally we will free up a considerable amount of time and money spent in commuting and keeping up the large lot. Realtors always say its "location, location, location", but its really "lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle".

With two income households, living with one vehicle isnít impossible but it can be pretty difficult. Iím sure MC and I could figure out a way to do it since we are also avid cyclists and we do have a couple of ďpack muleĒ bikes in the stable as well as a pair of motorcycles. With our impending move, we will now have about a 1/2 mile walk or ride to a grocery store, one of the banks I use, as well as other shopping options. Iím gaining more yard which will be more work to keep up with but itís something we really enjoy doing. I donít mind mowing, itís easy time for me when I can let the mind shut down and enjoy being outside. MC loves to garden and we will have more space for vegetable gardening which makes the property more self-sustaining for us.

For our lifestyle, we needed a place with a good sized room to use for a workout room and having a two car garage is a real bonus for us. Weíve made do in my bachelor pad where we have been since we got married, but itís somewhat cramped for all our various hobbies and running a couple of home-based businesses. Sheís fortunate, she doesnít have a daily commute other than a run to the post office every day.

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"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the firstĒ -Ronald Reagan

Wholly Cow! What Artist said and a plus 1.My ideal would be a loft Downtown or near Riverside. No yard work and have the money to just travel and do the non Parent things once again. Well said young man. Now I need to copy and paste that so I can remind myself. There is a goal.

As always, it gets down to what you want and lifestyle is probably the real item.

Our house is about 1500 sq ft. A bit more for a hobby room would be nice but, truthfully, it would most likely just get filled with "valuable stuff". I don't want a really big house building since I don't get a kick out of home maintenance. That would be true at any location. I do like having my neighbors at least 100 ft away but I don't want to have them 5 miles away. Grass cutting is a job to be done but the 46" 48" cut on the mower deck makes it go quickly. Since we don't have curbs and sidewalks (just for you Townsend ) I don't have a bunch of edging to do, or to shovel snow from. It's nice to step out the back door to throw a toy for my dog. I like big dogs. (Little dogs are OK, I just like big dogs more.) We have had German Shepherds since about 1960. Yes, there is some time involved maintaining the yard but it's a price I am willing to pay. When someone says I'm paying for a tractor that I wouldn't have to buy if I had a yard service I remind them that the yard service isn't providing their tractor/mower for free. I'm just not buying a complete tractor all at once.

I like having a car. In fact, I have two, by choice. One is a daily driver while the other one is for nice weather. I won't try to explain it to those of you who hate cars or only view them as a way to get from A to B. Speaking of cars, today, Saturday and Sunday is the annual Tulsa Auto Show at the Expo Center.

I have not worked at a job downtown. Never wanted to. As such, I am committed to a commute of some sort. The folks who want to live like sardines but moved out here have made my commute more difficult over the years. There are trails and parks out here in Bixby. They will eventually connect to Tulsa. I don't use them. I don't get much enjoyment out of going out to eat at restaurants. It's probably good for my wallet and liver that there are no bars really close by. I could walk to the places by the Spirit center (106th & Memorial) but I just don't really want to be there. I did walk home from the Bixby BBQ last year. I'll probably do the same again this year. I might walk to it also to pre-burn some calories. It's about 2.8 mi.

For starters, the wife and I have children, and also our professions require us to have lots of "stuff" related to our jobs. We also enjoy entertaining family, and love having guests. We also have parents that are aging, and we want to be able to take care of them in their later years on our terms including housing. Nursing homes or the like are strictly out of the question. I also need exercise space, a movie room, a library, office, etc--all while paying less in property taxes. We also have several cars, etc.

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